Streaming is accelerating how audiences discover and revisit nostalgic content, according to a new study from Vevo.
Vevo‘s report finds that music videos trigger nostalgia more than any other music format.
It also finds that 65% of Gen Z feel nostalgic for eras they were never alive to experience, something Vevo calls “borrowed nostalgia.”
Titled Then is Now, the study surveyed more than 1,800 Gen Z, Millennial and Gen X consumers across the US, UK and Australia, and was announced on Thursday (July 9).
JP Evangelista, EVP, Content, Programming & Marketing at Vevo, said: “The ease and accessibility of streaming is accelerating the discovery and use of nostalgic content more than ever before, from fueling catalog engagement with legacy artists to actively shaping the latest premieres.”
“However, it’s not just about revisiting what you loved years ago; people are craving shared moments and experiences, a contrast to the fragmentation driven by personalized algorithms.
“The ease and accessibility of streaming is accelerating the discovery and use of nostalgic content more than ever before, from fueling catalog engagement with legacy artists to actively shaping the latest premieres.”
JP Evangelista, Vevo
“That’s why nostalgia has become a powerful form of cultural currency. The entertainment industry at large – from artists and their teams to production studios – are meeting this desire and have been incorporating nostalgia into music, fashion, TV and beyond.”
Across all age groups, 88% of respondents said music sparks nostalgic feelings, ahead of movies (81%), television (80%) and gaming (50%).
Within music, music videos led on 68%, followed by audio tracks (59%) and live performance videos (50%).
Revisiting past content, including music and television, was the single biggest trigger of nostalgia at 76%, according to Vevo.
Some 60% of those surveyed identified with what the report calls “shared nostalgia,” a collective memory shaped by reboots and widely circulated content rather than personal experience.
Millennials and Gen X reported “borrowed nostalgia” at 55% and 54% respectively, below Gen Z‘s rate.
One in three Gen Z respondents went further, saying they feel they were “born in the wrong generation.”
A further 67% said that hearing music from the past encourages them to seek out other songs from the same era.
Vevo paired the survey with viewership data from its own catalog, which it said showed nostalgia driving spikes in views.
The report highlights Sabrina Carpenter‘s Manchild as an example of a new release built on borrowed nostalgia.
Vevo says the video was its most-watched premiere of 2025 in the US, UK and Australia, and describes its creative as a “mini road movie” inspired by 1970s film Badlands and the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.
Harry Styles‘ Sign of the Times saw views climb 547% after the song featured in a karaoke scene in the film Project Hail Mary, according to the report.
Sade‘s No Ordinary Love gained 52% after the Hulu series Love Story premiered, while The Beatles‘ catalog rose 62% following the Anthology documentary on Disney+.
Justin Bieber‘s views rose 221% after he performed at Coachella alongside footage of his younger self.
The report also charts “borrowed nostalgia” by decade, finding that 74% of viewers of Bob Marley‘s No Woman, No Cry were born after 1979, and 62% of the audience for Madonna‘s Material Girl were born after 1989.
Laura Vanison, VP, Research & Measurement at Vevo, said: “Nostalgia is a timeless, powerful driver of engagement in today’s streaming era.”
“Nostalgia is a timeless, powerful driver of engagement in today’s streaming era.”
Laura Vanison, Vevo
“The visual storytelling of music videos transcends the music itself and creates a deep emotional and psychological connection for fans – both new and existing – in a way that few forms of entertainment can.
“Music videos from the past uniquely provide context to songs and major pop culture moments, making them an iconic source of inspiration.”
Vevo‘s report concludes that music videos “remain the most durable and culturally reflective format in music.”
The study lands as Spotify pushes further into a format long dominated by YouTube.
Spotify began rolling out music videos in beta across 11 markets in March 2024, and extended them to Premium users in the US and Canada in December 2025.
In June, it began letting artists upload videos directly, with Spotify saying that “streaming videos leads to more listening.”
The company said that after watching a video, listeners stream that song 64% more over the following three weeks.
Vevo itself reports more than 22 billion monthly views across television, desktop and mobile, and is carried on YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Pluto TV and Amazon Prime Video, among others.
On its own charts, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars‘ Die With a Smile was the most-watched music video of 2025, with 932 million global views.
JENNIE‘s like JENNIE was the biggest premiere of the year at 33.4 million views in its first 14 days, the first time a K-pop release topped Vevo‘s annual premiere ranking.
In November, Vevo unveiled its 12th annual DSCVR Artists to Watch list, which featured UK soul singer Sienna Spiro.
The report cites Spiro‘s Die on this Hill among a wave of British soul acts finding younger audiences, with 2026 views up 665% on the prior year.
Vevo was founded by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in 2009 and describes itself as the world’s leading music video network.Music Business Worldwide
